Lower body garment for maternity

Abstract

A lower body garment has a pair of legs having an upper edge located below a wearer's pregnant belly and a waistband connected to the upper edge. The waistband has a front waistband portion that substantially covers the wearer's pregnant belly and a rear waistband portion that covers the wearer's sacroiliac joints, and which, together with the front waistband portion, encircles the wearer's torso. The rear waistband portion has a rear three-layer section having an inner layer of fabric contacting the wearer's skin, an outer layer of fabric facing outwardly from the wearer, and a middle layer of material between the inner and outer layers of fabric. The front waistband portion has a front three-layer section and a front section having no middle layer of material. Stretch, recovery, and/or modulus of the three-layer sections may be greater than the same properties of the section having no middle layer of material.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A lower body garment comprising:
 a pair of legs joined at front and rear rise portions and together defining a front upper edge configured to be located on the underside of a wearer's pregnant belly and together defining a rear upper edge configured to be located proximate the wearer's lower back; and   a waistband coupled to the front and rear upper edges of the pair of legs, the waistband comprising:
 a front waistband portion coupled to the front upper edge and configured to substantially cover the wearer's pregnant belly; and 
 a rear waistband portion coupled to the rear upper edge and configured to cover the wearer's lumbar region, and which, together with the front waistband portion, is configured to encircle the wearer's torso; 
   wherein the rear waistband portion comprises a rear reinforced section having at least three layers, including a rear inner layer of fabric configured to contact the wearer's skin, a rear outer layer of fabric configured to face outwardly from the wearer, and a rear middle layer of material between the rear inner and outer layers of fabric;   wherein the front waistband portion comprises:
 a front reinforced section having at least three layers, including a front inner layer of fabric configured to contact the wearer's skin, a front outer layer of fabric configured to face outwardly from the wearer, and a front middle layer of material between the front inner and outer layers of fabric; and 
 a front unreinforced section comprising at least one of the front inner and outer layers of fabric, but lacking the front middle layer of material; 
   wherein an elastic modulus of the rear reinforced section is greater than an elastic modulus of the rear inner and outer layers of fabric together without the rear middle layer of material; and   wherein an elastic modulus of the front reinforced section is greater than an elastic modulus of the front inner and outer layers of fabric together without the front middle layer of material.   
     
     
         2 . The lower body garment of  claim 1 , wherein the front reinforced section is located at least along a lower edge of the front waistband portion. 
     
     
         3 . The lower body garment of  claim 2 , wherein the front reinforced section makes up at least a lower quarter of the front waistband portion, and the front unreinforced section makes up at least an upper third of the front waistband portion. 
     
     
         4 . The lower body garment of  claim 2 , wherein the front reinforced section is also located along an upper edge of the front waistband portion, and the front unreinforced section is located vertically between the front reinforced sections along the lower and upper edges of the front waistband portion. 
     
     
         5 . The lower body garment of  claim 1 , wherein the front and rear middle layers of material are made of a plastic. 
     
     
         6 . The lower body garment of  claim 5 , wherein the plastic is polystyrene. 
     
     
         7 . The lower body garment of  claim 1 , wherein the front and rear middle layers of material are non-textile mesh. 
     
     
         8 . The lower body garment of  claim 7 , wherein the non-textile mesh is a polystyrene mesh that is 130 microns thick, has a weight of 50 grams per square meter, and has apertures having a diameter of less than 3 millimeters. 
     
     
         9 . The lower body garment of  claim 1 , wherein the rear upper edge is configured to be located proximate the wearer's sacroiliac joints. 
     
     
         10 . The lower body garment of  claim 1 , wherein the front middle layer of material is self-bonded to at least one of the front inner and outer layers of fabric, and the rear middle layer of material is self-bonded to at least one of the rear inner and outer layers of fabric. 
     
     
         11 . A lower body garment comprising:
 a pair of legs joined at front and rear rise portions and together defining a front upper edge configured to be located on the underside of a wearer's pregnant belly and together defining a rear upper edge configured to be located proximate the wearer's lower back; and   a waistband coupled to the front and rear upper edges of the pair of legs, the waistband comprising:
 a front waistband portion coupled to the front upper edge and configured to substantially cover the wearer's pregnant belly; and 
 a rear waistband portion coupled to the rear upper edge and configured to cover the wearer's lumbar region, and which, together with the front waistband portion, is configured to encircle the wearer's torso; 
   wherein the rear waistband portion comprises a reinforced section having a rear inner layer configured to contact the wearer's skin, a rear outer layer configured to face outwardly from the wearer, and a rear middle layer of high-modulus film self-bonded between the rear inner and outer layers;   wherein the front waistband portion comprises:
 a front reinforced section having a front inner layer configured to contact the wearer's skin, a front outer layer configured to face outwardly from the wearer, and a front middle layer of high-modulus film self-bonded between the front inner and outer layers; and 
 a front unreinforced section that does not include the front middle layer of high-modulus film; and 
   wherein an elastic modulus of the front and rear reinforced sections is greater than an elastic modulus of portions of the waistband that do not include the front or rear middle layers of high-modulus film.   
     
     
         12 . The lower body garment of  claim 11 , wherein the front reinforced section is located at least along a lower edge of the front waistband portion. 
     
     
         13 . The lower body garment of  claim 12 , wherein the front reinforced section makes up at least a lower quarter of the front waistband portion, and the front unreinforced section makes up at least an upper third of the front waistband portion. 
     
     
         14 . The lower body garment of  claim 11 , wherein the front and rear middle layers of high-modulus film are made of a plastic. 
     
     
         15 . The lower body garment of  claim 14 , wherein the plastic is polystyrene. 
     
     
         16 . The lower body garment of  claim 11 , wherein the front and rear middle layers of high-modulus film are mesh film. 
     
     
         17 . The lower body garment of  claim 16 , wherein the front and rear middle layers of high-modulus film are a polystyrene mesh film that is 130 microns thick, has a weight of 50 grams per square meter, and has apertures having a diameter of less than 3 millimeters. 
     
     
         18 . The lower body garment of  claim 11 , wherein the rear upper edge is configured to be located proximate the wearer's sacroiliac joints. 
     
     
         19 . A lower body garment comprising:
 a pair of legs having an upper edge configured to be located below a wearer's pregnant belly; and   a waistband connected to the upper edge of the pair of legs, the waistband comprising:
 a front waistband portion configured to substantially cover the wearer's pregnant belly; and 
 a rear waistband portion configured to cover the wearer's sacroiliac joints, and which, together with the front waistband portion, is configured to encircle the wearer's torso; 
   wherein the rear waistband portion comprises a rear three-layer section having an inner layer of fabric configured to contact the wearer's skin, an outer layer of fabric configured to face outwardly from the wearer, and a middle layer of material between the inner and outer layers of fabric;   wherein the front waistband portion comprises a front three-layer section having the inner layer of fabric, the middle layer of material, and the outer layer of fabric, and a front section having no middle layer of material; and   wherein recovery of the front and rear three-layer sections is greater than recovery of the inner and outer layers of fabric together without the middle layer of material.   
     
     
         20 . The lower body garment of  claim 19 , wherein the middle layer of material is a plastic film that is self-bonded to at least one of the inner and outer layers of fabric in each of the front and rear three-layer sections.